Clutch lock for tractors



July 20 1926. 1,593,315-

. F.- B. STORY CLUTCH LOCK FOR macrons Filed April 26, 1926 Time! 75. Star-1,

- Q INVVENTOR.

, TTO RNEY.

Patented July 2Q, 1926.

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CLUTCH LOOK FOR TRACTORS.

Application filed s ines, 192 s. Serial No. 104,661.

My invention relates to an automatic clutch lock, and is specially adapted for use with Fordson tractors.

My object is to provide a device of this character which, when the clutch pedal is moved in a downward direction to bring the clutch into its disengaged position. will engage and hold the same in that position till a further slight movement is imparted to the pedal in the same direction, whereupon the clutch is automatically disengaged and left free to return to its normal locked position. In other words, my object is to provide a device so constructed that successive movements of the clutch pedal in the same direction will alternately engage and dis engage said lever, whereby to alternately lock and unlock the clutch.

Other objects will appear in the subjoined description.

A leading feature of the invention resides in a sliding and rocking; lever having a portio rarranged' in the path of the clutch pedal adapted, when the pedal is moved to unlocked position, to bring; another portion of said lever into the return path of said pedal and to also set it in that position to catch and hold the pedal against return movement to its locked position, said parts being further arranged to cause a second movement of the pedal, in the direction of the first movement, to trip the sliding and rocking bar and free the pedal, to permit the same to return to its original locked position.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my device in the position it occupies when the clutch is in its locked positiom-that is. when the clutch pedal is in its normal upward position illustrated by the dotted circle.

2 shows the position of the parts when the clutch has been depressed to its lowest position, to unlock the clutch. Fig. 3 shows the position the parts assume after the clutch, having been depressed to its lowest position, as shown in Fig. 2, has been released by the foot of the operator, and permitted'to return a short distance in the direction of its original position. Fig, 4c is a perspective on a reduced scale showing the front side of my device. Fig. 5 is a broken section through and Fig. 6 is a broken perspective showing the integral bridge which spans the central slot of the frame bar.

Referring further to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the frame portion 'as a whole, which frame is composed of the longitudinal bar 2, the stop bar 3, and the bridge 4. The longitudinal bar 2 has a central slot 5, in which is locatedthe sliding; and rocking lever 6, which lever is held in operative position in said slot by means of the stop her 3, the bridge 4. (which forms a fulcrum for the lever), andthe spring 7, "one end of which connects with the 'slot b ar, and the other end of which is formed into a loop 7 which passesthrough an "opening 8 at approximately the longitudinal centre of said lever. The bridge 4: has its top side provided with a. forwardly eXtending projection 9 of a size to be received into the loop 7 of the spring, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The main bar 2 of the frame hasan opening 10 in its rear end for connecting the device with the tractor.

The operation of. the device is as follows :"lhje frame 1 is secured, by means of the bore 10, to the lower rear cap screw which holds the belt pulley on the side of a Fordson tractor. The clutch pedal of the tractor is, no mally held by suitable yielding means in its uppermost position, in which position the clutch is locked. In the drawings, the numeral 11 indicates the pedal lever. In Fig. 1 it is shown in, its normal upward (locked) position as just above referred to. When the pedal 11 (is moved downwardly, it contacts. with the lower outward extension 6 of the sliding and rocking lever 6., and moves said lever downwardly in the slot 5; and since the central portion of this lever is held by the spring- 7 against the projection 9 of the bridge which ,acts as a. fulcrum for the lever, the lever is brought to, a position parallel with the bar 2 with the upper hooked end 6 of the lever projecting outwardly. After the levertp' has reached its vertical position, it is slid on down a little further in the slot 5, which movement brings the loop 7 a of the springover the projection 9 of the bridge, at which point the rocking le ver 6 has reached the lower end ofthe, slot 5. In this position the outwardpull of the spring 7 against the rocking lever 6 holds the edge of the lever in flat engagement with the top of the bridge 4, which holds the lever parallel with the bar 2. lVhen the clutch pedal is released it automatically starts upward again toward its normal locked position; but it soon contacts with the hook 6", and moves the same upwardly till the upper end of the slot 5 is reached. This moves the loop 7 of the spring forwardly in advance of the projection 9 of the bridge 4, so that the rocking and sliding lever 6 would now be drawn backwardly again into the position shown in Fig. 1, but for the presence of the pedal lever 11 in said hook 6 which now holds the hook locked in the position shown in Fig. 3. That is to say, when the rocking lever 6 is forced down into its lowermost position by the pedal 11, it is locked in parallelism with the bar 2, by the pull of the spring 7 on the bridge 4; and when said lever is moved by the pedal into its uppermost position where it is unlocked from the bridge 4, it is still held locked in parallelism with the bar 2 by means of the pedal 11 pressing upwardly into the hook 6". But it is apparent that a slight downward push on the clutch pedal 11 will release the hook 6 therefrom, and then the spring 7 will instantly withdraw the hook 6 inwardly out of the path of the return movement of the clutch lever 11, thus bringing the rocking lever 6 into the position shown in Fig. 1. As soon then as the foot of the operator is removed from the pedal 11, it automatically returns to its upward normally locked position, ready for the above operation to be repeated.

The projecting portions 6 and 6 of the rocking lever 6 are spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the pedal lever 11, so that when said lever is moved downwardly out of engagement with the hook 6", said hook will be disengaged from the pedal before the pedal reaches the projection 6.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Ina device of the character described, an elongated bar adjacent the clutch lever and disposed in parallelism with the path of travel of said lever; a sliding and locking lever carried by said bar and adapted to he slid longitudinally back and forth thereon and to be rocked into and out of parallelism therewith by the clutch lever; a fulcrum on said bar for said lever to rock and slide upon; a spring for pressing said rocking and sliding lever against said fulcrum, said lever and fulcrum being adapted to fit into faceto-face engagement with each other when the lever is rocked into parallelism with the elongated bar, the-point of contact of said spring with said lever being at a point between the ends of the fulcrum member when the lever is in its depressed position, and beyond the end of said fulcrum member when said lever is slid to its elevated .position; whereby the spring serves to hold said lever stationary when in its depressed position and to rock it on its fulcrum when in its elevated position; and a stop for limiting the rocking movement of said lever by said spring.

2. In a device of the character described, a supporting frame having an elongated bar adjacent the clutch lever and disposed in parallelism with the path of travel of said lever, said bar having a longitudinal slot therein, and a bridge spanning said slot on the side of the bar away from the clutch lever; a sliding and rocking lever carried by said bar in said slot and adapted to be slid longitudinally back and forth therein and to be rocked into and out of parallelism therewith by the movement of the clutch lever, the bridge on said bar forming a fulcrum upon which said lever rocks and slides; a spring for pressing said rocking and slid.- ing lever against said fulcrum, said frame having a rigid stop bar spaced from the longitudinal bar on the side thereof away from the clutch pedal and overhanging the longitudinal slot in said longitudinal bar, one end of said spring being secured to said stop bar and the other end to said rocking and sliding lever at a point coming between the ends of the fulcrum member when said lever is in its depressed position, and beyond the upper end of said fulcrum member when the lever is in its elevated position; whereby the spring serves to hold said lever stationary when in its depressed position, and to rock it on the upper end of said fulcrum when in its elevated position, said stop bar forming a stop for said rocking and sliding lever to limit the rocking-movement thereof effected by said spring pressing said lever against said fulcrum when the lever is in its elevated position.

3. The combination with the clutch pedal of a tractor, of a lever having an upper projection and a lower projection both extending in the same direction, and with the upper projection normally pressed into inoperative position, the lower projection being located in the path of the pedal as it is depressed to its lowermost position, and operable by-said movement of the pedal to rock the upper projection into the path of the return movement of the pedal and to seat the lever and hold it in that position, whereby to arrest the return movement of the pedal when it is released, said parts being arranged for the return movement of the pedal to first engage and additionally hold the lever against rocking out of the return path of the pedal, and then to unseat the lever from the first holding means, whereby a second depression of the pedal trips the lever and permits its upper projection to rock out of the return path of the pedal.

4. The combination with the clutch pedal of a tractor, of clutch controlling mechanism comprising a supporting frame adapted to be secured to the tractor adjacent the clutch pedal, said frame having a longitudinal bar with a slot therein; a ri id bridge spanning said slot on one side thereof, the top side of the bridge being provided with a reduced forwardly extending projection; a rigid stop bar spaced from the bridge and overhanging the same, a rocking and sliding lever located in said slot; a tension spring connected at one end to the overhanging stop bar and provided at its other end with a loop engaging the locking and sliding lever between the bridge and the forward end of the slot, said loop being of a size to also receive the projection at the forward end of the bridge, said rocking and sliding lever having, on its opposite side from the spring, means located in the path of the clutch pedal for engaging and holding said pedal when it is depressed to its lowermost position, and for releasing the pedal when it is again depressed. i

5. The combination with the clutch pedal of a tractor, of clutch controlling mechanism comprising a supporting frame adapted to be secured to the tractor adjacent the clutch pedal, said frame having a longitudinal bar with a slot therein; a rigid bridge spanning said slot on one side thereof, the top side of the bridge being provided with a reduced forwardly extending projection; a rigid stop bar spaced from the bridge and overhanging the same; a rocking and sliding lever located in said slot and somewhat shorter than the slot to adapt the Y said rocking and sliding lever having on its a opposite side from the spring an upper hook projection and a lower projection, the lower projection being located in the path of the pedal when depressed to its lowermost position, and the upper hook rojec- 1 tion being normally drawn by the spring back against the stop bar and out of the path of return movement of the pedal, said lower portion being adapted, when the pedal is depressed, to rock the upper portion out into the path of the return movement of the pedal and to slide the bar downwardly to bring the loop on the end of the spring over the projecting end of the bridge to hold the hook in position to arrest the return movement of the clutch after it has been depressed; said lower projection and said upper hook projection being spaced from each other a greater distance than the thickness of the clutch and the parts being arranged for the clutch when it moves upwardly against said hook, to slide the lever up out of engagement with the projection on the forward end of the bridge, thereby leaving the bar free to be drawn in out of engagement with the clutch upon a second depression of the clutch.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRED B. STORY. 

